How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner Second Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)We have various family members who now own vacation homes or second properties in Hawaii, France, Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, here in California and along Hoods Canal in western Washington, and one thing they all worried about was what would happen if the wrong people rented their properties. And since I got the book in June I have had to fight to read it, since so many of my family and friends would see it on my table and would grab it and rave about it.
This is the first (literally) book I (and my family and friends) have found that tackles all the hard questions, worries and various 'what ifs' on the subject.
Beginning with the 'before' you buy questions, which is something I know a lot of people never really give much thought to, since many assume renting it out during off season etc will be a breeze. I especially liked the chapter dealing with 'why self management makes sense' since this is an issue I know something about. How many prospective rental owners know that a management company who handles rentals for clients can take 30% or more as a commission? Or that using a rental manager doesn't assure your property will be safe, or repaired in a timely way without gouging your bank account?
The author deals extensively with the how to of finding clients to rent your property, including which websites are the best and what to have on your website as well. This includes good and accurate digital photos of all the rooms, yard, as well as Mapquest.com links so people can see how close they are to stores, beaches, rivers etc, that would be a draw as well as a drawback. A place may look nice on the website but how many owners show photos of the neighborhood so that clients can see that its safe and clean?
The author covers how to screen clients, pet clauses, smoking, and party issues and issues of liability in general. Will you use PayPal, credit cards, checks etc? What about the phone in the property and the agreement on use and charges? This is why I like the call anywhere in the country one fee programs phone providers now offer. If you have DishNetwork will there be an extra fee for use or will that be included in the rental fee?
Will you provide bed linens and basic kitchen items? What about those few people whom you can never please? How will you handle them and how should you, legally? These are also covered in-depth.
Does the state where the rental property is require you to pay state or local taxes like some hotel, motels charge a fee or tax for? These are all things you need to think about before you even buy a vacation rental.
The back two 'chapters' or index's offer a lot of Internet sites for valuable information that makes the price of the book worth every penny.
Ms. Hrib Karpinski deserves a lot of thanks for finally writing a book that is easy to read and understand as well as recommendations of those she trusts who might provide the reader with even more information.
And I am buying a copy for my local library as well! Also check out her website by the same name www.HowToRentByOwner.com

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In this all-new, updated edition, author and speaker Christine Hrib-Karpinski takes readers through all the steps necessary to purchase and rent out a vacation home. This book contains practical, hands-on advice that shows the reader how to do it without property management companies, and keep 100 percent of the profits. It offers realistic strategies to create a situation in which renters pay the mortgage, while still allowing the owner several weeks a year in that little slice of paradise.

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The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook: Casual and Elegant Recipes Inspired by the Islands Review

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(More customer reviews)I had been eyeing this book for quite awhile, for more than a year actually, because my husband and I were going to the BVI for our honeymoon. When we finally went on our honeymoon, through dumb luck and fate, we got a room down the road from the Sugar Mill, and we decided to go to their famous restaurant for a night out. That night out turned into one of the most fantastic, memorable dining experiences we'd ever had... The night was like something out of a fancy movie. Blown away by the food, I bought the cookbook at the gift shop after dinner. Flipping through it in the hotel, I almost couldn't wait to go home and try out some of their recipes. I ended up scribbling down drink mixes we had when we went out and about town in the BVI, so this cookbook has turned into a honeymoon food scrapbook for me.
Now, I know that back story makes me a little biased, but I have to say that even if I just bought it without going to the restaurant, I'd still think this cookbook is superb. It's so clearly written and each recipe has a little paragraph "bio" associated with it discussing either its creation, history, or interesting info on the ingredients or the tradition behind the food. That little paragraph adds to the local color and feel that resonates through this whole cookbook. You can almost taste and feel the Caribbean when you read this book. Another thing I really like is that this book will give you the recipe as it's served at their restaurant, adding to the authentic feel of the book... But the book also acknowledges that some of the ingredients easily available to them in the BVI might be hard to impossible to find on the mainland, so they give you feasible substitutions that don't hurt the taste or presentation at all. Also included are little blurbs on the various Caribbean islands, customs, or other interesting facts.
I'd say most of these recipes are what I like to call "grown-up recipes." Meaning, not all of them you'll throw together in 30 minutes, that these recipes are sophisticated, adult foods that will probably require a little planning and time, perfect for special occasions (or a nice dinner you'd like to feel like a special occasion). I know this is a big negative for some people, but for me it's nice to own a recipe book that involves some serious cooking. I own far too many cookbooks with recipes that call for throwing together various canned soups and canned vegetables, or other processed foods like Bisquick or freezer rolls, and baking it for 30 minutes, and serving. It's nice to have a recipe book that doesn't include 45 different ways to use "cream of" Campbell's soups, and talks about cooking with things like star fruit and plantains and all sorts of exotic fruits and ingredients you see at the grocery store and wonder "I wonder what you use that for?" :D This is certainly a "from scratch" cookbook, not a "30 minute meals" sort of deal.
The categories in this book are: Sunrise Specials (breakfast foods), Snacks, Nibbles, and Island Appetizers, Carnival of Soups, Calypso Salads and Side Dishes, Pastas Under the Palms, From the Fish Pot (seafood), Birds of Paradise (poultry), Tropical Meat Waves (all other meat), Sugar Island Sweets (desserts), and Trade Wind Cocktails (an essential for summer parties as it's the drink recipes... :D). Some of my favorite recipes are curried citrus rice, christophene and sausage filled flank steak, lime cream pasta, pina colada pancakes and cake (the latter being my husband's new favorite birthday cake), lobster chowder, and conch chowder. And I have a list of "need to try" recipes from this book as long as my arm.
I love this cookbook. It's the BVI wrapped up in a 245 page book. There are only two downsides as far as I can see to this book... The first one being that it doesn't include this awesome drink recipe that we had while we were there and are just dying to have again but nobody knows how to make... And the second being that every time I cook something from it, my husband and I remember how much fun we had and how beautiful this restaurant was, and then we start missing Tortola terribly... :)


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Managing the Guest Experience in Hospitality Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this book because it was required for one of my classes... but I will be keeping it for future reference! Helps explain all minor details that help in the hospitality field!

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This book is organized around the 14 "Service Principles" with a chapter dedicated to each.The most recent research is integrated throughout to support each principle and each chapter provides "Exemplars of Excellent Service".A "Moment of Truth" feature interspersed throughout the book provides an open-ended guest service vinette and allows the reader to provide an appropriate response or analysis of the situation that reflects an understanding of the principle being covered.A "Lessons Learned" section at the end of each chapter provides both practitioners and students with a review of the material quickly, in a useful, applied way.

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TASCHEN's Paris Review

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(More customer reviews)Being from 3.5 hours outside of Paris I have been many many times and this book makes you relive your trips all over again. Even if you have never been there and don't intend on going this makes for a great coffee table book. It contains beautiful photos of hotels, restaurants and shops. It's also a great gift for someone who just moved or bought their own place. I recommend the author to anyone. Angelika Taschen has many great books. A+

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This book combines all of Angelika Taschen s recommendations for Paris hotels, shops, restaurants, cafes, and bars into one volume, ensuring visitors a wealth of ideas and a guarantee that their Parisian sojourn will never have a dull moment. From the ultra-hot Colette fashion concept store to Tom Ford s secret hideaway to Hemingway s favorite brasserie, all of the best insider tips are gathered together between these covers so that when you hop out from under yours, you ll have plenty of exciting things on your agenda.Highlights include:Decorative ceramics shop Astier de Villatte The ultra-modern Comme des Garçons perfume and candle boutique Ladurée, the best macaroons in the city Ma Bourgogne restaurant on the beautiful Place des Vosges Classic bistro Allard that has hardly changed in 70 years Left bank restaurant La Palette, a favorite of Picasso and Braque Brasserie Lipp, where Hemingway ate the eat herrings he wrote about in A Moveable Feast The ultra-luxurious Ritz hotel on elegant Place Vendôme The cozy and cute Hôtel Bourg Tibourg in the Marais Hôtel Verneuil in St. Germain-des-Prés opposite the former residence of Serge Gainsbourg The quintessentially French Hôtel Duc de Saint-Simon

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The Upstart Guide to Owning and Managing a Bar or Tavern Review

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(More customer reviews)The book drives home the fact that to be successful a bar must be run in a businesslike way. It discusses start-up issues, shows ways to build sales, control costs, and keep expenses in line. Equipment, layout and service are also covered. I found the information very useful.

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Running a bar or tavern is risky business for those who go into it uninformed. This guide provides essential information on planning, making the initial investment, financial management and marketing. The author pays particular attention to alcohol awareness issues and legal issues connected with bar and tavern management.

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Becoming a Chef Review

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(More customer reviews)AS a professional of 10 years now(currently working with Wolfgang Puck), this book should be a must read before you commit to being a chef.
It gives a realistic look into what working in the high end kitchens in the World is REALLY like.(The long hours, heat, working sick, tempers,low pay, etc.) What you see on cooking shows is staged and is not a indication of the day to day grind that a kitchen hits you with. Most people have NO IDEA what they are getting themselves into!
I suggest to anyone who is considering taking on the challenge of earning the title "Professional Chef"-REad this book, get a job in kitchen before you spend money on cooking school to see if you like it, and ask yourself-do you love food, or do you just think it would be a glory filled way to fame?


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The updated edition of the book Julia Child called "a 'must' for aspiring chefs"-the James Beard Award-winning guide to one of today's hottest careersWith more and more chefs achieving celebrity status, interest in the exciting world of today's leading chefs is higher than ever. Essential reading for anyone who loves food, Becoming a Chef gives an entertaining and informative insider's look at this dynamic profession, going behind the scenes to look into some of the most celebrated restaurant kitchens across the nation. More than 60 leading chefs-including some of the newest up-and-coming-discuss the inspiration, effort, and quirks of fate that turned would-be painters, anthropologists, and football players into culinary artists.Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page (both of New York, NY) are the authors of the bestselling titles Culinary Artistry, Dining Out, Chef's Night Out. Dornenburg has cooked professionally at Arcadia, Judson Grill, and March in New York City and Biba and the East Coast Grill in Boston. Page, the recipient of the 1997 Melitta Bentz Award for Women's Achievement, is a graduate of the Harvard Business School.

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Purchasing, Study Guide: Selection and Procurement for the Hospitality Industry Review

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(More customer reviews)I had to use this book as a text for a purchasing course I took and was frustrated to no end by its lack of organization. The different sections often repeat and even contradict themselves, although this improves substantially when you get to the chapters in the second half of the book on specific categories of items to be purchased. Each chapter is followed by a list of 30-40 "important words and concepts," most of which aren't defined or explained in the chapter but just mentioned in passing. Some of them aren't even mentioned in the chapter, and many of them appear on two or three different lists. The index is so limited as to be next to useless, and there is no glossary. I found myself continuously referring to other books and internet resources to get the information I needed, not because it wasn't in the book, but because I couldn't *find* it.
That said, the content of the book is thorough and well thought-out. Though I wouldn't recommend it as a textbook or desk reference, reading through it would give a novice buyer a good grounding in the principles of purchasing.

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Hospitality professionals will find that this eighth editionbalances purchasing activities with product and information from a management perspective. Each chapter has been revised so that the most current concepts available are presented along with even more in-depth coverage of hospitality purchasing. Numerous examples, questions, and exercises are included to reinforce new concepts. In order to reflect changes in the field, technology applications in the purchasing function are discussed throughout. New, revised, and updated illustrations and photographs of concepts, companies, and products relating to the purchasing function have also been included to give hospitality professionals a better understanding of the field.

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